The Wedding
by Vmailer
Summary: What happens after Arai proposes to Haruhi.


**_Disclaimer_**: All the characters mentioned in this story belong to Bisco Hatori, not me.

Author Intro: Thanks to everyone who've read the other stories and left reviews! They make me brave enough to post more.

**The Big Question**

After renewing her acquaintance with Arai-kun in Karuizawa, Haruhi Fujioka frequently met up with the young man, especially during summer vacations and after her high school graduation. The scholarship student's rich friends from the Host Club often interrupted their outings, but Arai-_kun_ followed the up-coming lawyer's lead, and learned to ignore the antics of the group. It was during one of these many outings the bachelor voiced his thoughts. "Haruhi, have you ever thought about marriage?"

Haruhi peered at the young man a little closer. "Arai-_kun_, has your family been pressuring you again?"

His free hand went to scratch the back of his neck while his other hand clutched a small box in his pocket. Blushing, he blurted out, "Marry me"

Haruhi's eyes widened and her cheeks sported a light blush before she answered his proposal.

**The Moment of Truth**

His friends teased him over the upcoming wedding. Ranka-_san_ acted like an outraged father and her friends made threats before Haruhi scolded everyone. However, Arai-_kun_ found himself ten months later in a church praying his bride would not leave him at the alter. After all, she knew so many rich people, he still could not believe she agreed to marrying him. Arai turned to his best-man and asked again, "Haruhi's here?"

"Yes," his friend laughed and raised a hand to stop the next question, "and I have the rings."

The soon-to-be groom took a deep breath and went to the front of the church to wait for the bride.

The guest list consisted of friends and families, smiling and whispering amongst them.

"Arai had to propose three times before she agreed!"

"Really? But they look perfect together!"

Another aunt added her two cents, "They should! They met in secondary school as teenagers! It was so cute!"

In the bride's preparation room, Haruhi looked at her father as she adjusted the veil and tweaked the skirts of the wedding gown. "Everyone calm down!"

"But Haruhi, the bride is usually nervous before a wedding!" Haruhi shrugged her shoulders and held the bouquet of roses Roses would always have a special place in the budding lawyer's logical but caring heart.

The sounds of the organ drifted to the group in the room and Ranka shooed everyone to their places. "It's showtime!"

Seeing Arai-_kun_ at the alter made the attorney's smile grow wider with each step. Out of the corner of her eye, Haruhi spied a pair of identical redheads. The soon-to-be bride amost lost her serene blissful expression when she saw Tamaki Suoh sniff and the woman nearly stumbled at the glimpse of a redheaded yakuza leader's fierce expression. _Was it a mistake to invite him? Oh please let nothing happen… _Haruhi's father sniffed and thought, _Kotoko, our daughter is a beautiful woman now_. Six extremely rich and powerful men stood amongst the crowd, slightly envious of the commoner standing at the alter waiting for his bride. Haruhi mentally prayed for everything to go smoothly. When everyone was in position, the priest began the ceremony.

As a lawyer, Haruhi had contemplated rewriting the wedding vows, but in the end, tradition won and she only continued praying when the priest voiced the dreaded words, "If anyone can show just cause why they may not be lawfully wed, speak now, or else forever hold your peace." _If the Host Club screws this up, I'm never forgiving them._ Haruhi prayed. No one breathed and everyone jumped when a sneezed ripped the air. A wave of the handkerchief from Ranka-_san_ was an apology in itself and the remainder of the ceremony proceeded as planned.

"You may kiss the bride." With a tender expression on his face, Arai leaned down and kissed his wife. The couple turned to face the guests and the priest concluded the ceremony. "Folks, please join me in congratulating the Arais!" The audience clapped as the wedding party left the church and went to prepare the reception.

No one was happier than the newlyweds save, perhaps, seven men and the still single Haruhi Fujioka, the bridesmaid.

**The Reception**

Haruhi found herself unable to sit down due to the dance requests from the majority of the male guests in wedding reception. However, she was the most relaxed in the company of Ritsu Kasanoda and her friends from the Host Club.

"I can't believe your friend invited so many of our classmates," muttered the still gruff redhead as he hesitantly held her during a set.

"Arai-_kun's_ wife _is_ from Ouran," the brunette replied.

They were interrupted when a shadow fell upon the couple and a hand tapped Kasanoda on the shoulder. Turning to give a mild glare, the yakuza leader's expression cleared in the face of Takashi Morinozuka.

"Mori-_sempai_." Haruhi's tallest friend gave a gentle smile and treated the petite girl like fragile porcelain. At the end of the dance, the kendo master tucked a cherry blossom into Haruhi's hair and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Haru –_chan_!" Hunny-_sempai_ had grown taller since high school, but the blonde martial artist still existed on a constant sugar high. Even dancing at such a fast tempo, Hunny unerringly guided the young woman to the buffet table loaded with dessert. As he handed a plate of cake, he whispered into her ear, "Haru-_chan_, you need to make a decision."

Haruhi stared at the mountain of sweets balancing on the single plate in the elder's hands. "I think that's too much cake, sempai." The man sighed in exasperation and went to join his cousin at the table.

Leaning against the pillar, Haruhi mused over Hunny-_sempai's_ comments, but a pair of redheaded twins stood on each side and distracted her. "Kaoru, Hikaru, where are your dates?"

"In the ladies room," Kaoru answered. "Why didn't you bring a date with you, Haruhi?"

"Everyone was busy," she focused on the food on her plate. The brothers sighed in resignation. At least the lawyer was not married yet.

"Save a dance for us later." Hikaru instructed. "If you don't, you'll regret it!" The pair went to escort their dates to the dance floor.

"Indeed, whether intentional or not, your omission as to your participating in this wedding caused us….some _mental distress_. Perhaps we should review your financial situation?" Haruhi's eyes widened at the Shadow King's statement. "No? In that case, dance with me." The CEO and President of Ootori Enterprises smirked when he saw a certain man of half-French descent pause in his animated act of charming his date for the modest wedding.

"Kyouya-_sempai_, there was no merit in bothering any of you with the details." The usually stoic businessman opened his mouth to retort, but the DJ voice on the loud speaker drew everyone's attention.

"Ladies, ladies, who doesn't want to be the next one to be married? C'mon up and catch this lucky bouquet!" Haruhi sighed and tried to escape the spectacle, but the Ootori turned and pushed her toward the growing crowd of women. "You owe me a dance," the sinister whisper did not prevent her from avoiding the screaming and squealing horde of single women waiting to catch the new bride's bouquet.

"3….2…1!" The newly married Mrs. Arai delightedly tossed the bouquet over her shoulder. What happened next, no one would have guessed: normally composed, civilized women turned into banshees, falling over each over and hopeful shrieks erupted from the crowd. Haruhi stared at the spectacle, never noticing the bouquet being tossed by the air currents. At one moment, Haruhi could have sworn a heel executing a high kick and drops of blood flying out from the mob of women. _Was that Honda-san?_ Stepping back from the melee, she found more of her friends smiling expecting her to jump in. Her head swiveled between the women and the smiling Host Club. She never saw the now ragged-looking bouquet fall into her protesting outstretched arms as she tried once more to convince her well-meaning friends to let her pass.

"We have a winner!" Let's have a round of applause for Haruhi Fujioka!" Slowly the woman turned to face the sea of women whose eyes gleamed for a second with malicious intent, but Haruhi was whisked onto the stage by her father, who was fluttering with happiness _Perhaps it's time for her to be married…_ Ranka mused.

"Now, gentlemen. Take a good look at this lovely lady. How's your luck tonight? C'mon down!"

The lawyer's eyes turned into saucer plates at the sight of each and every single male in the room descended on the dance floor to make a grab for the garter.

"Ready, set, GO!" Arai-kun aimed the garter high and short, hoping to help out his best man, who expressed an interest in the extremely cute bridesmaid. However, no one in the crowd expected the garter to become stuck on the top part of the chandelier. All but Haruhi, who sighed from relief, sighed with regret at the sight.

**After the Dance – Hours later**

"Haruhi, are you ready to go home?" Ranka decided to wait for his daughter before leaving. He walked over to Haruhi's side, "You look more like your mother everyday."

Her tired smile brightened a bit, "Really?" Ranka simply hugged her. Still in female formalwear, he started humming a long forgotten melody and began to lead his daughter into a shuffling slowdance. Haruhi laid her head against Ranka's shoulder and closed her eyes. Each Fujioka was lost in his thoughts and simply enjoyed the rare moment of typical father daughter bonding. The bustling cleanup crew did not comment on the seemingly strange sight of two women in such a pose. All too soon, a jangling cell phone rang and Haruhi stepped away to answer it.

"Hello?"

"HARUHI!!!" Long used to screaming rich men, the young woman managed not to wince. "Why aren't you home yet?"

"_Sempai_, where are you?" She looked at the number on her cell phone. "Why are you at my home?"

"Haru-_chan_! We miss you! You have cake!"

"_Sempai_! I just saw you earlier!" She blew loose tendrils of her hair out of her eyes.

"We're busy men, Haruhi. Time is money, you know."

Exasperation tinged her reply. "So, what do you suggest?"

Synchonized voices answered, "home cooking!"

"Guys, it's a few minutes until midnight and I'm a single woman. How am I supposed to go grocery shopping at this time of the night?" She glared at the innocent phone. "Don't you have societal obligations and business meetings?" She prayed that common sense would occur to her more affluent friends.

Five voices answered in unison over the phone. "No."

"I still need to catch the train," she made the last ditch attempt for a quiet night.

"The limo's waiting for you outside the reception ballroom."

Sighing, Haruhi never felt the tiny grin curving her lips "Okay, we're coming home. Don't burn the place down." The tiny Fujioka family made their way back to a Haruhi's modest flat where six well-meaning men waited for a woman who meant the world to them.

_**A/N:**_ Thank you again for reading this story. Reviews are always appreciated.


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